Oscar Pistorius goes on trial for murder of Reeva Steenkamp - as it happened | World news | The Guardian Reeva Steenkamp shooting Oscar Pistorius goes on trial for murder of Reeva Steenkamp - as it happened Trial begins of South African Paralympian for murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his home in Pretoria on Valentine’s Day last year Monday 3 March 2014 09.21 EST First published on Monday 3 March 2014 03.04 EST 1.59pm GMT Summary • A witness has told the trial of Oscar Pistorius that she heard “bloodcurdling screams” on the night the Paralympian shot his girlfriend dead. • The witness, Michelle Burger, told the court she heard two people - a man and a woman - shouting, adding: “The fear in that woman’s voice; you only fear like that if your life is threatened.” • Burger said she heard four gunshots on the night in question.

• Pistorius has pleaded not guilty to the murder and to firearms charges, telling the court he denies the allegations of murder “in the strongest terms” and believed an intruder had broken into his house and was in his bathroom when he fired. • Pistorius says he approached the bathroom with a gun in an effort to protect Steenkamp and has accused the prosecution of once again using “unsubstantiated allegations” to argue that he murdered Steenkamp. • The Paralympian has also accused the prosecution of trying to use inadmissible evidence for the “assassination of my character” and said that suggestions he deliberately killed Steenkamp “could not be further from the truth”. Updated 11.24am GMT Summary The trial of Oscar Pistorius for the murder last year of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, began in Pretoria this morning. • Pistorius has pleaded not guilty to the murder and to firearms charges, telling the court that he denies the allegations of murder “in the strongest terms” and he believed an intruder had broken into his house and was in the bathroom.

• Pistorius says he approached the bathroom with a gun in an effort to protect Steenkamp, and he accused the prosecution of once again using “unsubstantiated allegations” to argue that he murdered Steenkamp. • The Paralympian also accused the prosecution of trying to use inadmissible evidence for the “assassination of my character” and said that suggestions he deliberately killed Steenkamp “could not be further from the truth”. • The first witness, a neighbour of Pistorius, has told the trial that she and her husband were woken on the night in question by “blood-curdling” screams and then heard four gunshots. Updated Here is a more detailed account of the morning’s proceedings from the Press Association. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel told the court: They were the only two people in the house. There were no eyewitnesses. The state’s case is based on circumstantial evidence. He said evidence included what neighbours had heard, and prosecutors would argue that “a certain inference” could be drawn from the scene.

We argue that the accused’s version in the bail application and today could not reasonably possibly be true; should be rejected … The only inference from the circumstantial evidence would be that the accused shot and killed the deceased. The first witness, Michell Burger, who lived in the Silver Stream Estate, which neighbours Pistorius’s Silverwoods Estate, described waking up at around 3am to a woman’s “terrible screams”. Speaking through an interpreter, she said: We woke up from the screams. My husband jumped up and went to the balcony. I was still sitting in the bed and I heard her screams. She said she also heard a man screaming for help, adding: “Three times he yelled for help.” Burger said she called security and expected them to call security at the Silverwoods Estate. She added: I heard her screams again, it was worse, it was more intense. Just after her screams, I heard four shots, it was four gunshots that I heard. Updated March 3, 2014 10.42am GMT Burger says she woke up the next morning thinking that their neighbours had suffered a break-in.

She did not realise what had taken place and asked a friend if she knew what had happened after the screams and gunshots. When Burger went to the university she told a colleague about the previous night’s events. She started work and her husband called to ask if she could remember what had happened during the night. Her husband told her that, according to the TV news, Pistorius had shot Steenkamp thinking she was an intruder. She told her husband that that account did not fit with the noises they had heard. Updated March 3, 2014 9.28am GMT You’ll probably have realised that the trial, which should have started at 8am UK time, has yet to begin. According to AP, the judge has not arrived but proceedings should begin shortly. Updated 8.56am GMT And finally, the defence counsel, Barry Roux: In a case being compared to the OJ Simpson trial before it even opens, South Africa’s answer to the charismatic American defence lawyer Johnnie Cochran is Barry Roux , who will strive to prevent Pistorius from going to jail.

Roux was admitted to the Johannesburg bar in 1982 and is a senior advocate with a colourful history of clients , including Dave King, a Scottish-born businessman and former Rangers football club director who risked jail for ignoring the biggest tax bill in South African history. It is speculated that Roux could be earning around 50,000 rand (£3,600) a day. He stole the limelight during Pistorius’s bail hearing when he tore into the evidence of the lead detective, Hilton Botha. “This is like watching a baby seal getting clubbed,” one South African journalist tweeted. Oscar Pistorius's defence counsel, Barry Roux. Photograph: Gallo Images/Getty Images Updated 8.55am GMT And now the prosecutor, Gerrie Nel: A career prosecutor with more than 30 years’ experience, Nel has handled some of South Africa ‘s biggest cases and is unlikely to be disconcerted by the spotlight. He has known worse.

In 2008, when he was prosecuting Jackie Selebi, the country’s most senior police officer and later president of Interpol, Nel was arrested by 20 police officers in front of his wife and children in the early hours one morning. Fraud charges against him were later dropped and, two years later, Nel secured a corruption conviction against Selebi, who was sentenced to 15 years behind bars. “Everything he touches turns to gold,” Mthunzi Mhaga, a former national prosecuting authority spokesman, told South African media . Prosecutor Gerrie Nel during Oscar Pistorius's bail hearing. Photograph: City Press/Getty Images Updated at 9.40am GMT 8.53am GMT While we wait for proceedings to begin, let’s have a look at the key players in the trial, starting with the judge: At the centre of the biggest media circus in South African legal history is Thokozile Masipa, a former crime reporter who was never short of stories during the dog days of the apartheid era. Masipa became a social worker after leaving school in 1976, and only completed her law degree at 43 .

In 1998 she became the second black woman on the Transvaal bench, and has spoken out strongly about violence against women in her judgments and twice handed down maximum sentences to men convicted of such crimes. One was in 2009 against Freddy Mashamba, a police officer who shot and killed his former wife after a row over their divorce settlement. “No one is above the law,” Masipa said. “You deserve to go to jail for life because you are not a protector. You are a killer.” The second was in May 2013 against Shepherd Moyo, a serial rapist and burglar whose sentence of 252 years was intended to serve as a deterrent, she said. “The worst [thing] in my view is that he attacked and raped the victims in the sanctity of their own homes where they thought they were safe.” Updated 8.18am GMT Here’s a bit more detail and background from the Press Association. Pistorius, wearing a dark suit, white shirt and dark tie, was ambushed by cameras as he made his way through the building to the courtroom. Crowds of media gathered outside the court for the case, which has attracted global attention.

The trial is expected to hear from more than 100 witnesses, including neighbours who claim to have heard screams from his house that night, as well as former girlfriends of the athlete. Parts of the proceedings will be broadcast live, and in South Africa a 24-hour channel will cover the trial and commentary around it. Today is thought to be the first time Pistorius will come face to face with Steenkamp’s mother, June, who is attending the trial. The sporting star’s case will be decided by a judge assisted by two “assessors”, but no jury. The mandatory sentence for someone convicted of premeditated murder in South Africa is life with a minimum of 25 years in prison, meaning if Pistorius is found guilty he will be over 50 when he is released. The paralympian is accused of the premeditated murder of Steenkamp, who died of multiple gunshot wounds. Prosecutors allege Pistorius shot her four times through the locked bathroom door at his home in Pretoria in the early hours of 14 February 2013. Some witnesses have described hearing a woman scream, followed by “moments of silence”, then hearing gunshots followed by more screaming.

Pistorius claims he thought an intruder was in his home, but prosecutors say that even so, an “error in persona” did not affect the fact he intended to kill someone. Some 107 witnesses are listed by the state, including Steenkamp’s close friends Desiree, Gina and Kim Myers, as well as Pistorius’s sister Aimee and his uncle Arnold. Oscar Pistorius looks at his watch as the start of his trial is delayed. Photograph: Themba Hadebe/AP Updated March 3, 2014 8.03am GMT Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the trial of Oscar Pistorius, who is accused of murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on Valentine’s Day last year. The Guardian’s Africa correspondent, David Smith, is in court. South Africa is preparing for what is expected to be a marathon legal battle that throws a spotlight not just on the world-famous double-amputee athlete, but on his homeland’s criminal justice system and gun culture.

The trial, which has been compared to that of the OJ Simpson case in the United States 20 years ago, has led to the establishment in South Africa of a unique cable television channel dedicated to it. The 24-hour channel, called The Oscar Pistorius Trial – A Carte Blanche Channel , launched on Sunday night with footage of the sportsman’s girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, who was shot dead by him in the early hours of the morning on February 14 last year at his home. While the Olympian denies murder and says that he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder, the prosecution maintains that he intentionally shot her several times after an argument. Updated Pistorius starts five-year term for killing Reeva Steenkamp | Reuters Tue Oct 21, 2014 | 5:57 PM EDT Pistorius starts five-year term for killing Reeva Steenkamp By Joe Brock | PRETORIA PRETORIA Olympic and Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius started his five-year jail sentence on Tuesday for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, marking the end of a trial that has gripped South Africa and millions around the world.

His uncle, Arnold Pistorius, indicated he would not appeal. As judge Thokozile Masipa gave her decision on the 27-year-old's culpable homicide conviction, Pistorius, whose downfall has been likened to that of American football star O.J. Simpson, stood resolutely in the dock. His only reaction was to wipe his eyes before two police officers led him to the holding cells beneath the High Court in the heart of the South African capital. Ninety minutes later, an armored police vehicle carrying Pistorius - still dressed in dark suit, white shirt and black tie - left the building through a throng of reporters toward Pretoria Central Prison, where he is expected to serve his time. Once the execution site for opponents of South Africa's former white-minority government, the jail is now home to the country's most hardened criminals, including the man known as "Prime Evil", apartheid death squad leader Eugene de Kock. Prisons officials said Pistorius, whose lower legs were amputated when he was a baby, would be housed in a separate and secure hospital wing of the massive complex.

"ONE LAW FOR ALL" In delivering her decision, 67-year-old Masipa stressed the difficulty of arriving at a decision that was "fair and just to society and to the accused". She also rebuffed suggestions that Pistorius - a wealthy and influential white man - might be able to secure preferential justice despite the "equality before law" guarantee enshrined in the post-apartheid 1996 constitution. "It would be a sad day for this country if an impression were created that there is one law for the poor and disadvantaged, and one law for the rich and famous," she said. Steenkamp, a 29-year-old law graduate and model, died almost instantly on Valentine's Day last year when Pistorius shot her through a locked toilet door at his luxury Pretoria home. Prosecutors pushed for a murder conviction, but the athlete maintained he fired in the mistaken belief an intruder was hiding behind the door, a defense that struck home in a country with one of the world's highest rates of violent crime. The ruling African National Congress' Women's League, which is at the forefront of political efforts to tackle violence against South African women, on Tuesday called for an appeal by the state against the Sept.

12 culpable homicide conviction. But Steenkamp's family said it was satisfied with the sentence. "Justice was served," family lawyer Dup De Bruyn told reporters outside the court. The judge had given "the right sentence", he said. "DARK AGES" GONE With no minimum sentence for culpable homicide, South Africa's equivalent of manslaughter, Pistorius could have been punished with a few years of house arrest combined with community service. Before the decision, protesters picketed outside the court, a sign of the anger that might have ensued and the damage that might have been done to an often-criticized judicial system if the sentence were seen as too light. "Why are certain offenders more equal than others before the law?" said protester Golden Miles Bhudu, dressed in orange prison garb and wrapped in chains as he ridiculed Pistorius' retching and crying during the seven-month trial, the first in South Africa to be broadcast live throughout. "He screams like a girl, he cries like a baby but he shoots like a soldier," Bhudu said.

However, Masipa pointed to the moral and philosophical changes South Africa has undergone since the end of white rule and the 1994 election of Nelson Mandela, saying the courts were no longer about mob justice and an "eye-for-an-eye". "As a country we have moved on from the dark ages," she said. "Society cannot always get what they want because courts do not exist to win popularity contests." Many ordinary South Africans were unimpressed, especially after Pistorius' defense lawyer, Barry Roux, said he expected the athlete to serve only 10 months of the five-year sentence behind bars, and the remainder under house arrest. "They are only scaring him with this sentence. It shows our society hasn't transformed," said Johannes Mbatha, a 38-year-old minibus taxi driver waiting at a Johannesburg bus station. "If it was a black man he would have never received such a light sentence. But that's how things are in South Africa." In Steenkamp's home town of Port Elizabeth, a handful of family friends at a bar owned by her parents raised their hands in recognition of the five-year sentence.

"I thought he would walk," said 50-year-old Martin Cohen, who worked as a race horse trainer with Steenkamp's father, Barry, who suffered a stroke shortly after his daughter's killing. The state prosecuting authority, which has two weeks to decide whether to launch an appeal against the verdict, said Pistorius was likely to serve at least a third of his sentence in prison or 20 months. On a separate conviction for firing a handgun in a packed Johannesburg restaurant, Pistorius was given a three-year suspended sentence. Even if he is freed early, Pistorius will not be able to resume his athletics career until his full term is served, the International Paralympic Committee said, ruling out any appearance at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Known as "Blade Runner" because of his carbon-fibre prosthetics, Pistorius became one of the biggest names in world athletics at the London 2012 Olympics when he reached the semi-finals of the 400m race against able-bodied athletes.

(Additional reporting by David Dolan and Mfuneko Toyana in Johannesburg and Ed Stoddard in Port Elizabeth; Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Pascal Fletcher and Louise Ireland) ADVERTISEMENT 1/9 South African Olympic and Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius enters a police van after his sentencing at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria October 21, 2014. Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko + 2/9 South African Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius holds the hands of family members after being sentenced at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria October 21, 2014. Reuters/Herman Verwey/Pool + 3/9 Aimee Pistorius watches as her brother, South African Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius, attends his sentencing at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria October 21, 2014.

Reuters/Themba Hadebe/Pool + 4/9 South African Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius is led to holding cells after he was sentenced at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria October 21, 2014. Reuters/Themba Hadebe/Pool + 5/9 South African Olympic and Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius is led to a prison van after his sentencing in Pretoria October 21, 2014. Reuters/Mike Hutchings + 6/9 South African Olympic and Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius is seen in a police van after his sentencing at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria October 21, 2014. Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko + 7/9 South African Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius attends his sentencing at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria October 21, 2014.

Reuters/Herman Verwey/Pool + 8/9 Judge Thokozile Masipa speaks during the sentencing hearing of South African Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria October 21, 2014. Reuters/Themba Hadebe/Pool + 9/9 South African Olympic and Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius leaves the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, October 17, 2014. Reuters/Mike Hutchings + Oscar Pistorius Jailed For 6 Years For Girlfriend's Murder Oscar Pistorius Jailed For 6 Years For Girlfriend's Murder World | Associated Press | Updated: July 06, 2016 14:42 IST EMAIL PRINT COMMENTS Paralympian athlete Oscar Pistorius (C), accused of the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at the High Court in Pretoria.

(AFP Photo) Pretoria, South Africa: He faced a possible 15-year jail term for shooting Ms Steenkamp He shot her through a door, claiming he mistook her for an intruder Prosecutors said he killed his girlfriend intentionally after an argument Oscar Pistorius has been sentenced to six years in prison for the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius stood and faced Judge Thokozile Masipa as she announced the sentence in a South African courtroom on Wednesday. Pistorius was facing a possible 15-year jail term for shooting Steenkamp through a toilet cubicle door at his home in 2013, but Masipa said substantial and compelling circumstances existed in the double-amputee Olympic runner's case to give him a lesser sentence. Steenkamp's parents, Barry and June, were present in the courtroom, which was packed with relatives of both Pistorius and Steenkamp and other observers. In reading out the sentence, Judge Masipa said Pistorius was a "fallen hero." The judge ordered a recess to give prosecutors and Pistorius' defense lawyers time to decide if either wanted to appeal the sentence.

Judge Thokozile Masipa began with the background to her decision of Pistorius' sentence. The double-amputee Olympian faces a possible 15-year jail term for shooting Steenkamp in 2013, although Masipa can give a reduced sentence if she believes there are compelling circumstances to be lenient. Masipa asked Pistorius to sit on his wooden bench in the Pretoria courtroom on Wednesday while she explained the reasons for her decision. "It now remains for this court to impose an appropriate sentence," Masipa said. The judge said she would consider a variety of factors, including the interests of society and those of the victims, as well as themes of crime deterrence and rehabilitation of perpetrators. Steenkamp's parents, Barry and June, sat on the other side of the courtroom, which was packed with journalists and other observers. Pistorius appeared calm and looked straight ahead at the judge as she read from her notes. Pistorius was initially acquitted of Steenkamp's murder by Masipa at a trial in 2014. He served a year in jail for manslaughter but his conviction was changed to murder by South Africa's Supreme Court last year.

Pistorius shot Steenkamp through a toilet cubicle door at his home, and claimed he mistook her for an intruder. Prosecutors said the athlete killed his girlfriend intentionally after an argument. The fact that the killing was purportedly a mistake, in Pistorius' account, "does not in any way make the offense any less serious," Masipa said Wednesday. Masipa also noted testimony by defense witnesses during sentencing hearings that Pistorius was suffering from mental problems and was effectively a "broken man," after the killing, and that he wanted to give back to society by assisting underprivileged children in sports programs at a number of South African schools. Masipa also delved into Pistorius' childhood, recalling defense testimony that his mother's reported anxiety over crime made him anxious as well, and that her death when he was a teenager left him feeling abandoned. She also commented on the year he spent in jail after initially being convicted of manslaughter. She said Pistorius now has an aversion to guns, a dramatic contrast to the fact that he used to avidly collect firearms before he killed Steenkamp.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Oscar Pistorius trial – day four | World news | The Guardian Reeva Steenkamp shooting Oscar Pistorius trial – day four Full coverage of the South African athlete’s trial for the murder of his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, at his home in Pretoria on Valentine’s Day last year Reeva Steenkamp shooting Oscar Pistorius trial – day four Full coverage of the South African athlete’s trial for the murder of his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, at his home in Pretoria on Valentine’s Day last year Thursday 6 March 2014 12.18 EST First published on Thursday 6 March 2014 02.33 EST Full summary On the fourth day of the Pistorius murder trial: • The defence’s Barry Roux asked witness Charl Johnson about the discrepancies between his first and second accounts of the events on the night of the murder • Roux suggested that the sounds Johnson heard after screams were Pistorius’s cricket bat breaking down his bathroom door, and not gunshots • Prosecutor Gerrie Nel concluded that Johnson had no intent to incriminate Pistorius

 with his initial notes and testimony • Roux and Nel both questioned witness Johan Stipp, Pistorius’s neighbour and a doctor, about his recollection of the sequence of events on the night of the murder • Roux and Nel both used photographs taken from Stipp’s bedroom, where he heard gunshots and screams the night of the murder, to determine Stipp’s vantage point • Roux suggested that Pistorius, anxious and distressed, could have produced the screams that Stipp identified as sounding female • Finally, Roux and Nel argued over whether Stipp heard shots both before and after he heard screams, as Roux looked to posit that Steenkamp was too fatally wounded to have produced the screams Stipp says he heard Updated 1.02pm GMT Key event Judge Masipa adjourns court for the day.

Proceedings will resume tomorrow, at 9:30am in Pretoria (7:30am GMT). Stay tuned for a summary of today’s events. Updated March 6, 2014 12.06pm GMT Court is in session again, with Stipp (Pistorius’s neighbour) back on the stand. Nel concludes with him and now Barry Roux, on the defence, is examining him. Roux asks about whether Hilton Botha, ex-lead detective on the Pistorius case, took Stipp’s statement in February 2013. 11.15am GMT Trial adjourned for lunch State prosecutor Gerrie Nel speaks in court during day four of Oscar Pistorius's murder trial.

Photograph: Werner Beukes/Pool/EPA As the trial carried on into the late morning, two witnesses took to the stand: After the defence re-examined witness Charl Johnson, prosecutor Gerrie Nel stepped up to do the same Nel worked to conclude that Johnson heard several gunshots, and had discussed what he heard at the time with his wife, Michelle Burger Radiologist and Pistorius’s neighbour Johan Stipp was sworn in as the next witness and recounted his version of the night’s events He spoke about the screams and gunshots he heard from his balcony (72 metres from Pistorius’s home) and seeing Pistorius kneel over Steenkamp’s body at the house Nel presented aerial photographs and photographs taken from Stipp’s bedroom, facing Pistorius’s house 10.54am GMT When Stipp was initially out on the balcony, he says he thought he could hear a man’s voice screaming, quieter than the female screams: “but I was not sure, and I didn’t include that in my written statement”.

Nel asks about the three bangs that Stipp heard, and he says they followed each other quickly: “almost on top of each other – bang, bang, bang.” After a quick quip from Nel about his tight time-keeping, court is now adjourned for lunch for an hour. Updated March 6, 2014 10.34am GMT Stipp’s home is about 72 metres away from Pistorius’s, making him the closest neighbour to testify so far. After calling security and sending them in the direction of Pistorius’s home, Stipp approached the house himself. He says he spoke to Johan Stander, a security manager at Silverwoods Country estate, and offered to help. As he walked toward the house, he says he saw a man on his knees and a woman lying on the ground on her left side. “I shot her,” Stipp says he heard the man say. “I thought she was a burglar and I shot her.” Updated at 5.18pm GMT 10.21am GMT Stipp says he remembers he was awakened by three loud bangs on the night of the murder.

He walked out onto the balcony and heard screaming, he says: “It sounded to me like the voice of a female”. Nel has now asked Stipp to point out his home on an aerial photograph of the gated community in which he, and Pistorius, lived at the time of the shooting. 10.15am GMT Witness eight, Johan Stephens Stipp, is now being called up to the stand. He lives in the Silverwoods Country Estate, in the same complex as Pistorius’s home where the murder took place.

Updated 9.00am GMT Trial adjourned for tea So far, chief defence lawyer Barry Roux’s cross-examination of Pistorius’s neighbour Charl Johnson has focused on: Inconsistencies between Johnson’s account of how many shots he heard the night of Reeva Steenkamp’s death Whether the screams Johnson and his wife Michelle Burger heard were made by Pistorius or Steenkamp Whether Johnson may have heard the sound of a cricket bat, and not gunshots, as Pistorius broke through the bathroom door behind which Steenkamp was locked in his home And whether Johnson’s house was so far from Pistorius’s that Johnson would not have been able to hear screams from inside the toilet in Pistorius’s room 8.53am GMT Roux steps down, and Nel asks for early tea. Roux then returns with one last question, to which Nel objects. Barry Bateman (@barrybateman) #OscarPistorius Roux puts it to Johnson, that you it impossible to hear screams from inside the locked toilet cubicle.

BB March 6, 2014 8.51am GMT Roux questions Johnson on whether he would know what Pistorius sounds like when he’s anxious and screaming. “You have never met the accused,” Roux says to Johnson. “You don’t know what it sounds like when he’s anxious and he screams.” 8.41am GMT Johnson maintains that the sounds he heard were created in such rapid succession that it’s unlikely they could have accounted for the time it takes to swing a cricket bat repeatedly at a door. “So let us look at your sharp and acute senses, standing on the balcony. Then let us look at your notes,” Roux says, before stating that Johnson previously said he could not remember how much time elapsed between the shots he heard, and the sounds of screaming that preceded them. Updated at 1.36pm GMT 7.35am GMT As proceedings begin in Pretoria, have a look at yesterday’s key events from day three of the trial, as blogged by Alexandra Topping: Summary • Boxer Kevin Lerena, a friend of Pistorius, said the sprinter accidentally fired a gun in a restaurant and asked his friend to take the blame, in a separate firearms-related charge.

• Jason and Maris Loupis, from the restaurant, said the group Pistorius was in were apologetic and left soon after the incident. • Earlier, chief defence lawyer Barry Roux sought to undermine the prosecution testimony of couple Michelle Burger and Charl Johnson, neighbours of Pistorius, who say they heard screams before shots were fired on the night the athlete fatally shot his girlfriend. • Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said Johnson’s telephone number had been read out in court a day earlier by Roux and he had received a “large amount” of calls and a threat which said: “Why are you lying in court? You know Oscar didn’t kill Reeva. It’s not cool.” • According to the Press Association, Roux implied that similarities in Burger and Johnson’s statements suggested they had talked through their testimonies before appearing in court: “You could just as well have stood together in the witness box,” Roux said. “What do you say to that?” Johnson denied the claim. Advocate Barry Roux, Oscar Pistorius's legal representative, listens during his client's court appearance on the third day of his trial at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on 5 March.

Photograph: Alon Skuyi/AFP/Getty Images 8.20pm GMT Good morning, and welcome to our live coverage of the fourth day of the trial of Oscar Pistorius, the South African athlete accused of murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on 14 February last year. David Smith, our Africa correspondent, will be in court D at North Gauteng’s high court in Pretoria. You can keep up with his tweets here .

Updated Athlete vomits after photos flash up briefly on screens as police official flicks through crime scene images during murder trial Published: 13 Mar 2014 Live updates from David Smith as trial of Olympic and Paralympic athlete for the killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp continues Published: 13 Mar 2014 Prosecutors show series of pictures as police colonel describes scene he found after shooting of Reeva Steenkamp Published: 13 Mar 2014 Scene where athlete shot his girlfriend is reconstructed in Pretoria courtroom in attempt to discredit his defence Published: 13 Mar 2014 Oscar Pistorius Murder Trial Resumes After 17-Day Break - NBC News May 5 2014, 8:07 am ET Oscar Pistorius Murder Trial Resumes After 17-Day Break by Elisha Fieldstadt Oscar Pistorius listens to evidence in the Pretoria High Court on April 16, 2014, in Pretoria, South Africa. Oscar Pistorius stands accused of the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, on February 14, 2013.

This is Pistorius' official trial, the result of which will determine the paralympian athlete's fate. Werner Beukes / Pool via Getty Images Share advertisement The sensational trial of Olympian Oscar "Blade Runner" Pistorius — charged with premeditated murder for killing his girlfriend with four shots fired through his bathroom door on Valentine’s Day of last year — resumed on Monday after a 17-day hiatus. Following weeks of drama fit for the big screen — which was broadcast on small screens in South Africa and around the world — chief prosecutor Gerrie Nel called for a break, citing schedule conflicts. Judge Thokozile Masipa approved because the case was dragging on longer than she had expected. Play Oscar Pistorius friend testifies as trial resumes 3:09 autoplay autoplay Copy this code to your website or blog <iframe src="" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> The defense is picking back up with the first person Pistorius called after the shooting, neighbor Johan Stander, on Monday. Here's a refresher of what has already developed since the beginning of the trial on March 3.

The Prosecution Pistorius claims he shot and killed his law student and model girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, because he thought she was an intruder and felt vulnerable without his prosthetic legs. The state contests he intentionally murdered the woman after a bitter argument. The prosecution opened with testimony from the Pistorius' neighbors , who said they heard a man and a woman yelling, followed by gunshots and then, silence. A security guard then recounted the next portion of the saga, in which Pistorius told him everything was "fine," only minutes after shooting Steenkamp. Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius reacts during his trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, on March 10, 2014. An overcome Oscar Pistorius vomited in court on Monday as he listened to harrowing expert testimony about the autopsy of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, whom he is accused of murdering.

Bongiwe Mchunu/AFP/Getty Images BONGIWE MCHUNU / Pool via AFP - Getty Images Others called by the prosecution painted a picture of a trigger-happy and temperamental Pistorius, not the heroic athlete that the double-amputee Olympian was once lauded as. Pistorius’ ex-girlfriend, Samantha Taylor, testified that Pistorius kept a gun by his bedside table . She also noted that her ex "sounds like a man," when he screams — disputing an assertion brought by lead defense lawyer Barry Roux that screams heard by neighbors were those of Pistorius alone, not Steenkamp. And Taylor said she knew those screams well, claiming Pistorius often yelled at her, before ending the years-long relationship by cheating on her with Steenkamp . Text messages from Steenkamp were read aloud to further shed light on Pistorius’ short temper. "I'm scared of you sometimes and how you snap at me and how you will act towards me," said one.

The longer string of text message conversations between the couple, the majority of which, Roux pointed out, were loving , caused Pistorius to break down crying, something that he was prone to do, especially when details of the crime scene were shared. “I remember. I don’t have to look at a picture. I was there.” When portions of the autopsy on Steenkamp’s body were read by a pathologist, Pistorius retched and threw up . He vomited again when close-up images of Steenkamp’s mutilated corpse were displayed . Pistorius covered his ears with his hands while a police ballistics expert said Steenkamp was in a "defensive position" when she was shot. The Defense Throughout the prosecution, Roux has sought to prove that the crime scene had been handled carelessly by police, which he argued would have contaminated evidence . Roux first called a pathologist to the stand, and pictures of the bloodied bathroom and body were once again exhibited, leading Pistorius to retch once again shortly before he testified.

But Pistorius composed himself and preceded his statements with an apology to Steenkamp’s family, which appeared to do little to affect her mother, who sat nearly expressionless during the beginning of the the runner’s testimony. Play Copy this code to your website or blog <iframe src="" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> That first day of testimony , before Pistorius was cross examined, was the defendant’s chance to portray himself as a man petrified of violence who was simply trying to protect the woman he cared for, and who cared for him. Pistorius spent the next day on the stand recounting the night he killed his girlfriend, explaining that he thought someone had climbed into the bathroom window, but when he realized his girlfriend could be on the other side of the door, he smashed it with a cricket bat. "I sat over Reeva and I cried,” he recalled , shaking. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel — nicknamed "The Pitbull" — wasted no time getting to the heart of the state’s case when cross-examining the only witness who knows what happened the night Steenkamp died.

Pistorius’ time on the stand didn't get any easier as Nel showed a video of Pistorius practice-shooting at a watermelon, then showed a gory crime scene picture, offering a comparison of the exploding watermelon to Steenkamp's head. Play Copy this code to your website or blog <iframe src="" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> "I remember. I don’t have to look at a picture. I was there," Pistorius responded. Nel focused on establishing that the track star "concocted" his account of the shooting, accusing him of lying, and urging Pistorius to take responsibility for Steenkamp's death. “ I blame myself for taking Reeva's life ," Pistorius eventually said. Before he left the stand, Pistorius read a Valentine’s Day card from Steenkamp — a note that Pistorius said he didn't see until after his girlfriend was dead. "I think today is a good day to tell you that … I love you,” he read aloud to the court. The Valentines Day card and present Reeva Steenkamp gave #OscarPistorius on day before she died.

@eNCAnews pic.twitter.com/1RfHXGLu6X — Karyn Maughan (@karynmaughan) April 15, 2014 What’s next? Pistorius’ team will continue to try to prove that the crime scene was altered by police, and that neighbors who heard Steenkamp's screams before gunshots actually heard Pistorius’ screams before he whacked the door down with a cricket bat. Roger Dixon, a forensic expert for the defense, already testified that the bedroom was too dark to see that Steenkamp got out of bed and said he conducted an audio test that indicated sounds of a cricket bat hitting wood could be mistaken for gunshots. The door through which Reeva Steenkamp was shot is displayed during Oscar Pistorius' murder trial in Pretoria April 14, 2014. Olympic and Paralympic track star Pistorius is on trial for murdering his girlfriend Steenkamp at his suburban Pretoria home on Valentine's Day last year.

Antoine de Ras / Pool via Reuters In coming days, Roux is expected to call a witness who will testify that Pistorius' screams hit high pitches when he is anxious and a psychologist to dissect Pistorius’ claims of constantly feeling defenseless, according to South Africa’s Eyewitness News . The first person Pistorius called after the shooting, neighbor Johan Stander, took the stand on Monday. Roux has said he will call between 14 and 17 witnesses, according to The Associated Press, meaning nearly a dozen or more could remain. The defendant’s reaction to those testimonies could be under close scrutiny after a South African columnist accused Pistorius of “taking acting lessons for your days in court.” A post on Pistorius’ website said the claim was "devoid of all truth." The validity of Pistorius’ show of emotion is important because the display "may affect [the] sentence because someone who is remorseful, who has committed a crime, can sometimes affect a judge," attorney Tom Mesereau, who has represented a range of high-profile clients, said on MSNBC last month.

And Pistorius’ fate lies solely in the hands of Judge Masipa and her two assessors, since South Africa has no trial by jury. If Masipa decides, after weeks of testimony, that Pistorius is guilty of murder, he faces a minimum of 15 to 25 years in prison. Lesser charges, which could include culpable homicide and illegally possessing ammunition, might mean prison time or simply fines for the once-revered athlete. The trial resumes. Oscar Pistorius Verdict: South African Paralympian Not Guilty Of Murder of Girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp Oscar Pistorius Verdict: South African Paralympian Not Guilty Of Murder of Girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp {{article.article.images.featured.caption}} Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Full Bio The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer. Loading ... Loading ... This story appears in the {{article.article.magazine.pretty_date}} issue of {{article.article.magazine.pubName}}.

Subscribe Presiding Judge Thokozile Masipa has ruled in the case involving South African paralympian Oscar Pistorius who was charged with murder following the fatal shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine’s Day last year. Earlier today, in a packed courthouse in Pretoria, South Africa, Pistorius was found “not guilty” of murdering long-time girlfriend. “ The State didn't prove beyond reasonable doubt that Oscar Pistorius is guilty of pre-meditated murder. There are just not enough facts to support such a finding.” Judge Masipa said . Closing arguments wrapped up in the trial that had transfixed millions around the world. After 41 days of testimony in the North Gauteng High Court, Judge Masipa retired with her two assessors to review more than 4,000 pages of evidence before arriving at a decision on the central charge of premeditated murder.

Oscar Pistorius leaving the North Gauteng High Court on 11 September 2014 by Jay Caboz for Forbes Africa Magazine If convicted of premeditated murder, Pistorius would have faced a mandatory life sentence, where he would have to serve 25 years in prison before he could be considered for parole. Judge Masipa could have also convicted Pistorius of murder but without explicit premeditation, a lesser crime that carries up to 20 years. However, in ruling out a murder charge the judge said “there is no doubt that when the accused fired shots at the door he acted unlawfully. The evidence does not support the state’s contention that this is a case of dolus eventualis. Question is did Oscar Pistorius foresee the possibility of death when he shot? This is key to murder verdict. Answer has to be no. How could he?” While Judge Masipa was not convinced of Pistorius's intent to kill and therefore acquitted him of murder, the double-amputee Olympic runner still faces culpable homicide based on negligent or reckless discharge of his 9mm pistol. Culpable homicide carries a maximum of 15 years behind bars.

“Oscar Pistorius had time to think and consider actions. I'm satisfied his actions weren't that of a reasonable person. The accused knew there was person behind toilet door, chose to use firearm, he was competent as he'd been trained. Oscar Pistorius acted too hastily and used excessive force. His conduct was negligent, ” the judge said before adjourning the hearing for Friday. In addition to the murder charge, Pistorius is accused of three lesser weapons offences: One count of illegal possession of ammunition and two counts of discharging a firearm in a public place. These charges carry up to five years in prison, although in most instances are punishable by a fine. If he is found guilty, Pistorius will be sentenced at a later date following mitigation and possible appeals. Follow me on Twitter @FaraiToday Oscar Pistorius will be tried for murder in March 2014 | Public Radio International Oscar Pistorius will be tried for murder in March 2014 South African Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius appears at the Magistrate Court in Pretoria on August 19, 2013.

Pistorius was indicted on charges of murdering his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on February 14. He denies the charge. Credit: STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN PRETORIA, South Africa — Oscar Pistorius, the South African double-amputee sprinter charged with murdering his girlfriend, wept and prayed with his siblings while appearing in court Monday. During a brief appearance at Pretoria magistrate's court, the Paralympian received a copy of the indictment and was told that his trial would begin March 3, 2014, and continue until March 20. He will remain on bail until then. The indictment states that Pistorius "did unlawfully and intentionally kill" Reeva Steenkamp at his house in Pretoria just after 3 a.m. February 14. He was also charged with violating South Africa's firearms control act. If convicted of premeditated murder, he faces life imprisonment and at least 25 years without parole. For nearly 20 minutes, while waiting for proceedings to begin, Pistorius held hands and prayed with brother Carl and sister Aimee, pausing to wipe away tears.

Pistorius admits shooting Steenkamp but denies that it was murder, claiming that he mistook his girlfriend for an intruder. She died after taking bullets to her head, elbow and hip. The prosecution argues that Pistorius meant to kill her. Witnesses have testified that they overheard the couple arguing that evening, though the defense disputes their account. "Some of the State witnesses heard a woman scream, followed by moments of silence, then heard gunshots and then more screaming," the indictment states. Further, the indictment says that "an 'error in persona' will not affect the intention to kill a human being" — i.e., even if Pistorius believed he was firing at a burglar, he was still shooting to kill. The state has listed a total of 107 witnesses it may call against Pistorius, including neighbors, friends of Steenkamp and one of the accused's ex-girlfriends. His siblings Carl and Aimee Pistorius are also on the witness list. Steenkamp, a model, would have turned 30 on Monday. Best friend Gina Myers attended the hearing, and alongside her sister Kim and mother Desi Myers paid tribute to Steenkamp in an emotional statement read outside the courtroom.

Since her death, "not a day has gone by when anyone who ever came into contact with Reeva Steenkamp hasn't thought about her," the statement said. "Now, more than ever, Reeva's memory lives on." While you are here... The work we do has never been more important — whether it’s because of “news” that might not be news at all or healing the deep divides in our country. Now more than ever, we need conversation, perspective and diverse voices. Will you support PRI in our efforts to create a more informed empathetic world? Report: State to appeal Oscar Pistorius judgment, sentence | KFOR.com Report: State to appeal Oscar Pistorius judgment, sentence Email This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius is seen during his murder trial at the high court in Pretoria on Thursday, 3 July 2014. Pistorius is accused of the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, who was fatally shot inside his home.

Picture: Herman Verwey/Media24/Pool × Report: State to appeal Oscar Pistorius judgment, sentence Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius is seen during his murder trial at the high court in Pretoria on Thursday, 3 July 2014. Pistorius is accused of the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, who was fatally shot inside his home. Picture: Herman Verwey/Media24/Pool (CNN) — The state will appeal the judgment and sentence in the Oscar Pistorius case, South Africa’s national prosecuting authority said Monday, according to state-run media. Pistorius was sentenced last week to five years in prison after being found guilty of culpable homicide, or negligent killing, in the shooting death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. “Since the 20th of October 2014 the prosecution team … have been hard at work studying the judgment, researching, and also consulting with legal experts with the view to establish whether or not there are sufficient grounds to appeal both the judgment and sentence,” spokesman Nathi Mncube said in a statement reported by the South African Press Association.

Question: In 2014 who was accused of killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in South Africa?
Answer: OSCAR PISTORIUS